Tracking the Tigers with MLB.com beat writer Jason Beck.

Sizemore visits team doctor

Tigers 2B prospect Scott Sizemore visited a team doctor for a follow-up exam on the left ankle he fractured last Thursday in the Arizona Fall League. Should be hearing something out of that on Tuesday.

UPDATE @ 8pm: Sizemore is expected to require surgery, though the team has no comment. Detroit Free Press reports quotes Sizemore saying it’ll be Tuesday. Nothing firm on timetable, though Sizemore told the Freep he hopes to be ready for spring training.

10 Comments

It concerns me, also. We are just not used to seeing anything even remotely close to that amount of errors at 2nd base. Good grief, that’s alot of errors. I suppose different field conditions might account for some and probably miscue throws from the SS to 2nd might account for a couple, but you have to wonder if he is a “bobbler” bad thrower to first, can’t hand DP’s. We have been so spoiled! It seems his ankle break is more serious than thought, too. Jason will probably give us an update.

Funny other Dave that I had started to post and pulled it unable to work through DD’s logic of not finding a more low risk alternative involving offering Polly a contract that he would at least consider.
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Going straight to high risk Plan B of singling out Sizemore without any blooding during 2009 is indicative funds are going to be extremely tight and DD obviously knew more than he was letting on at the end of year ‘talk’.
2010 is the final year of recent payroll inflexibility with Willis, Nate, Bondo and Inge coming of contracts worth $41.1m. Surely a better plan would be for DD to eat part of either Nate, Bondo or Carlos’s contract and free up around the $6m that may have kept Polly if he felt he was valued by the club.
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Polly has always been the team’s pillar of strength and is only 18 months older than Inge who is showing considerably more wear and tear and will unlikely be back after his 2010 final year contract.
Polly always consistently produced and his over 300 average post break (.361/.410 Sept/Oct) including RISP showed he was one of the few producing when it was getting tight.
Offering Polly a 2-3 year $6m annual contract with a $1-2m club buyout option in the 3rd year would at least tempt Polly to stay, and he could always be traded if and when Sizemore consistently produced for Detroit.
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I suppose the difficulty would of been finding a position for Sizemore to regularly play alongside Polly as Sizemore’s 2006 stats as a shortstop were even poorer with a .949 Fld% and a 4.33 RF, although not totally incomparable with Everett who went .969 and a 4.23 RF in 2009.
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If Sizemore had a good shoulder, he may have been able to develop into a 3rd basemen for 2011 post Inge.
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It would be grossly unfair to immediately play Sizemore in the top 5, but with Laird and Everett being carried and also Inge, the Tigs will likely have little option. I just hope the fans give him time which I doubt they will after having the view cutting their favorite Polly was both reckless and not justified.
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Seems a premature call for my liking with Ramon likely to get a workout as the insurance policy.

The FREEP is reporting that Sizemore will need surgery. This will make the recovery a little longer, but he still expects to be ready by spring.

If the Tigers offer arbitration to Polanco, and he declines and finds another club that will give him a sweet multi year deal AND give the Tigers a top draft pick (and the Tigers get a second supplemental pick), then I’d be okay with that. But if they fail to offer arbitration while bringing back Ordonez at three times the cost, and Everett and Inge who are no better defensively and horrible at the plate, then it’s time to get a new GM.

Why is it you can post by mistake and then keep crashing???
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Interesting stats on Raburn’s run home:
August – 49 AB’s .327/.365 4 HR & 6 RBI’s;
Sept – 53 AB’s .321/.383 4 HR & 8 RBI’s;
Oct – 9 AB’s .556/.667 2 HR & 3 RBI’s.
38 hits, 17 RBI’s from 111 AB’s (.342) with a HR every 11 AB’s is impressive in anyones language. However, if you strip out the 24 times he had to bat once or only twice a game for only 5 hits, (.208) one RBI and no HR’s, he ends up with 33 hits from 87 AB’s, (.379) 16 RBI’s and a HR every 8 AB’s.
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An analysis of JL’s offensive roster management, particularly post break is looking decidedly ugly.
Amazing how many AB’s were wasted whilst hot guys were sitting on the bench.

Okay then, we’re talking ruptured tendons and internal fixation devices? One thing you don’t want to do is rush the kid back into action. I think the club needs to re-think their short term options. I think the club needs to offer Polanco more than they had originally intended.
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This is still a competitive Central Division team and it’s unnecessary to “take a year off” to rebuild. I was leaning towards the skeptical side of the secondbaseman switch anyway, and this injury has made up my mind. Polanco is one of the few strengths among the position players, and to lose him is to throw away 2010. I say that because I don’t think DD will (or is able to) make the needed transactions to keep the club abreast of the competition next season. I suppose I could spend next summer hiking in the mountains but I doubt that’s what the club wants their fans to be doing. They still need ticket buyers and TV viewers. It’s bad enough that we’re still stuck with Leyland.
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–Rich

Enjoying the discussion here. Agree wholeheartedly Stat Dave. DD must eat the better part of any or all of those contracts to free up the needed money to keep Poly. Because, Rich you are right on in your assessment of the situation. Without Placido in 2010 this team will not compete. DD, if you can’t figure out not only how to keep Poly, but also how to make him feel appreciated AND respected, shame on you. That means a realistic offer, not fishing or low balling.
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Stat Dave, those Raburn stats make a case for Ryan being given a chance to play every day. They could be an anomaly, but I think he just might be capable of that kind of production on a regular basis if he were given the chance. We might have to put up with some erratic defensive play but you would hope that he would settle down with more playing time. He has the arm and leg speed to play the OF. It would help to solidify next year’s lineup. (And, yes, why is it that JL could not see this when he was benching Ryan and Magglio in critical games down the stretch?)

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